Automatic stop for punching machines



Jan. 12 1926. 1,569,649

E. W. WAY

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR PUNCHING MACHINES Filed August 18 1924 Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

EUGENE w. WAY, or SEATTLE, wasnme'ron.

AUTOMATIC sror FOR roma ne macnmns.

Application flledAugust 1a, 1924. Serial no. 732,668.

To all whom.- z't may concern:

Be it'known. that I, EUGENE W. WAY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Seattle, King County, Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stops for Punching Machines, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to punching machines, and particularly to an automatlc stop therefor. It is an object of my invention to provide means which will automatically engage the work as it is fed forward, to stop it in position for the next operation and which, during the completion of the succeeding operation, is released from engagement with the work and made ready to reengage the work and to ation.

I have shown my invention in. association with a punching machine, which in this particular showing employs a pair of punches which reciprocate towards and from a fixed die, the two punchesvbeing carried upon a reciprocating tool carrier and the Work being fed past the fixed die. In connection with such a machine it is an object of my invention to provide means which canbe readily attached to, or formed as part of the fixed die, and which will carry theautomatic stop, the said automatic stop being en ageable with a previously punched hole in 518 work as it is fed forward, and the tool carrier having attached thereto a position it for the following operfinger or like member which during the working stroke of the tool carrier will release the stop. In this connection it is anobject of my invention, also, to provide such means which are readily attached to or removed from common forms of punchingmachines, and which may be attached to machines now built and in use.

A further object is so to time the operation of such an automatic stop that itis certain in operation, so that it will not permit advance of the'materials prior to proper operation of the punch and die, but which will release the stop preferably prior to disengagement of the die and punch, so that it is ready to reengage the work immediatel it is advanced. In this connection it should be noted that it is an object to provide means for adjusting such an auto- .matio stop that the work will be exactly and properly positioned, and so that the the path .0

several steps will be completed in proper sequence.

. My invention comprises the novel parts and combinations thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings, described in this specification, and particularly defined by the claims terminatin the same. i

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in a form which is now preferred by me, and association with parts of a common; form of punching ma.

chine. I Figure 1 is a side elevation, parts being broken away and shown in. section, illustrating the normal operativeposition .of the automatic stop.

Figure 2 is a like view showing the punch and die in engagement and the stop released.

Figure 3 is a plan View, substantially along the line 33 of Figure 1.

My invention is intended for operation particularly upon punching machines'or power presses such as embody a reciprocabletool carrier, as 90, movable toward and from a bed 91 upon which is secured a die 92. The tool carrier 90 has secured thereon punches or like devices 9 which cooper-' ate with recesses 93 in the die 92 to work upon a piece of metal which is fed between the punches and the die. In the form shown the operation of my invention whether the work though generally my device would be employed with punching machines requiring and feeding. r

In such machines considerable time is consumed between each operation in properly positioning the work for the next operation. My invention is designed to engage the Work as it is advanced and automatically to stop it in proper position, thus permitting continuous operation of the machine. For this pur ose means are provided to engage 'the wor as it is advanced, and preferably these means engage at the forward end to of a previous perforation in the strip of work The w0rk-engaging means comprises a dog 1 in the form of a lever pivoted at one .end andhaving its other end adapted to rest upon'the u per surface of the die 92 in movement of the work. The

punches 9 perforate the strip of material W which is fed through a' work guide 94. It is immaterial to the pin 10, whereby the do dog 1. This spring may be guided by a rod 31 secured to the arm 11 and reciprocable in the support 2. By means of this spring the work-engaging end of the dog 1 is held down upon the upper surface of the die 92 in position to intercept the work in its advance, and the dog likewise is urged, though yieldingly, in the direction from which the work advances. Se arate yieldable means for accomplishing t ese two results might be em loyed. Engagement of the dog 1 with the advancing edge w of a previous perforation will cause the dog to be bodily retracted against the spring 3, and by reason of the pin and slot connection 10, 21. Such retraction, however, does not disenga e the dog and the edge w.

fiisengagement of the dog from the work is accomplished through movement of the tool carrier 90, and any suitable means for accomplishing this object may be employed. It is necessary so to time the release of the dog that it will not disengage the work prior to secure engagement of the punches 9 therewith, but preferably it should be left free to reen a e the work prior to disen' a ement o t e punches from the work. he I have found can best be accomplished by means of a finger 4 which is secured in a suitable bracket 40, the bracket being detachably secured at one side of the tool carrier 90. The finger 4 may be made to di-- rectly engage the dog 1 to release it, but preferably, in order to insure greater accuracy, and in order to quickly move the dog, this finger' engages a trip lever 5' fixedly pivoted at 50 between its two ends. One end 54 of the tri lever is positioned to be enga ed by the ownwardly pointed finger 4 an the other end is provided with a ledge 51 which engages beneath the dog 1 to raise it. The tri lever 5 is made double for strength. e dog is slidable over the ledge 51 of the trip lever.

As the position of the dog 1 when re tracted governs the position of the work relative to the die a ertures 93, and as the position of the dog 1s controlled by the position of the slot 21 carried by the support 2, it is desirable that the sup ort should be adjustable in the direction 0 movement of the work. I have therefore shown it as slidable along .a guide 22, movement thereof being effected, at least in one direction, by a screw 23. The trip lever 5, however, '18 referably not adjustablebut is positioned immediatel beneath the finger 4. The length of t e finger 4 may, however, be adjustable in order to properly time its engagement with the trip lever, an adjusting nut 42 being employed for the purpose. 7 In thenormal operation of the punching machine the tool carrier 90 may be made to reciprocate continuously past the die apertures but the work must be held momentarily while it is bein perforated or otherwise operated upon. The dog 1, being normally urged downward by the spring 3, enages the advancing edge of a previous peroration and prevents further advance of the work, the dog during this operation being retracted until its pivot pin 10 is at the end of the slot 21 farthest removed from the direction from which the work is fed (at the right, as seen in Figure 1). As the tool carrier moves downward the finger 4 secured thereto finally contacts with the end 54 of the trip lever. Preferably prior to this, however, the punches 9 have perforated the strip of work and have entered the die apertures 93, as is shown in Figure 2. The work is thus securely held by the engagement of the punches and die apertures, but immediately the ledge 51 of the tri lever is raised the dog 1 is likewise raise left in the drawings, will cause the work WV to advance. Pressure of the spring 3, however, serves to force the dog 1 downward and this, as soon as it reaches the perforation which has just been made, enters the same and again engages the advancing edge thereof to stop the work in proper position. The device preferably operates from above, although it might be made in such a way as to operate from below. If operated from below it would have the disadvantage of enga ing a surface which is somewhat burre from the punch, and therefore it is preferable to engage the do with the up er surface of the work, which surface is a ways clean and free of burrs.

is well engaged therewith, yet the dog must then be disengaged and ready to reengage the work prior to release of the punch from the work.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An automatic stop for punchmg machines comprising a dog normally positioned to engage a previously punched hole, supporting means for said dog permitting its movement towards and from the work and bodily in the direction of movement thereof, means operable upon formation of a new hole to move said dog from engagement with the previously punched hole, and means operable upon release of the dog from the previously punched hole to advance 1t therebeyond, said first means being operable thereafter and prior to withdrawal of the tool from the work to release the dog to permit it to resume its normal position upon advance of the work.

2. An automatic stop for punching machines comprising a dog normally engageable with a previously punched hole, a support, said dog being pivotally connected to said support and said pivot connection permitting bodily movement of the dog in the direction of movement of the work, a spring tending to maintain said dog in normal position for engaging the work and advanced towards the work, said spring being yieldable to permit retraction of the dog in the direction of and when engaged by the work, and means movable with the tool carriage for pivotally swinging said dog from engagement with the previously punched hole, said spring being operable thereupon to advance said dog beyond such previously punched hole.

3. An automatic stop for punching machines comprising a dog, a support therefor, said dog and its support having a pin and slot connection permitting bodily movement of the dog in the direction of move ment of the work, a spring tending to main tain said .dog in position to engage a previously punched hole in the work and advanced towards the work, said dog when in operative position being retracted by pressure of the work, and means operable upon the working stroke of the tool carrier to swing said dog upward upon its pivot to disengage it from a previously punched hole and to permit its advance beyond such hole under the influence of said spring.

4;. An automatic stop for punching machines comprising a dog, a support therefor, one end of said dog and its support having a pin and slot connection permitting bodily movement of the dog in the direction of movement of the work, a spring yieldably urging said dog forward towards the work and downward into the path thereof, a trip lever engaging said dog between its ends to raise it, and means timed with the tool carrier and operable upon its working. stroke toraise said dog, thereby to release it from the work and to permit advance thereof.

5. An automatic stop for punching machines, which include a fixed die and a movable punch, comprising a dog, a support therefor, said dog and its support having a pin and slot connection permitting bodily movement of the dog in the direction of movement of the work,.yieldable means urging said dog forward towards the work and downward into the path thereof, means timed with the tool carrier and operable upon its working stroke to raise said dog,

thereby to release it from the work and to permit advance thereof, and means for adjusting said support in the direction of movement of the work.

6. An automatic stop for punching machines comprising a support, a dog connected thereto by a pin and slot connection permitting bodily movement of the do in the direction of movement of the wor a spring yieldably urging said dog forward towards the work and downward into the path thereof, a trip lever pivoted uponsaid support and engaging beneath said dog to raise it, and a finger fixed to the tool carrier and engageable with said trip lever on its downward stroke to release said dog from engagement with the work and to permit its advance thereovcr prior to its reengagement with the work.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 8th day of August, 1924.

EUGENE w. WAY. 

